Hidden Figures: Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner (May 17, 1912 – January 13, 2006) was an African-American inventor most noted for her development of the sanitary belt. She was born in Monroe, North Carolina and credited her father, Sidney Nathaniel Davidson (June 1890-November 1958), for her creative mind, saying that he was always encouraging her for her new ideas. Her sister, Mildred Davidson Austin Smith (1916–1993), was also an inventor. Kenner invented the sanitary belt and the sanitary belt with moisture-proof napkin pocket. The sanitary napkin wasn't patented until 1956, thirty years after she first invented it. The company that first showed interest in her invention rejected it after they discovered that she was an African American woman. Between 1956 and 1987 she received five patentsfor her household and personal item creations. Kenner was also the inventor of an improved bathroom tissue holder that allowed the loose end of a bathroom tissue roll to be accessible at all times. She received patent #4,354,643, on October 19, 1982 for this device. Other patented inventions included a back washer mounted on the shower or bathtub wall, which she patented in 1987. She also patented the carrier attachment for an invalid walker in 1959. She worked as a professional floral arranger and had her own business in the field of Washington DC area. #MaryBeatriceDavidsonKenner #HiddenFigures ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Twitter: @seren_sensei Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: '8 Black Female Inventors You Might Not Know:' http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/03/07/8-black-female-inventors-you-may-not-know/5/ '5 Women Inventors You Can Thank For Making Your Life So Much Easier:' http://mashable.com/2016/03/24/wtf-history-women-inventors/#Nltfy0J5dGqV Women Inventors: https://www.ncpedia.org/industry/women-inventors Mary Kenner: http://www.helloflow.org/blog/marykenner 'Celebrating African American Women Inventors:' http://www.colorblindmagazine.com/2013/02/18/celebrating-african-american-women-inventors/ 'WE DID IT, THEY HID IT - HOW MARY BEATRICE DAVIDSON KENNER’S HYGIENE INVENTIONS CHANGED YOUR BATHROOM EXPERIENCE:' https://blackthen.com/hid-mary-beatrice-davidson-kenners-hygiene-inventions-changed-bathroom-experience/ Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Beatrice_Davidson_Kenner